Duke coach pays tribute to Bush

Thursday

DURHAM — The late President George H.W. Bush had a connection with Duke's basketball program in a way that altered veteran coach Mike Krzyzewski's routine this week.

Krzyzewski's admiration for the former president is wide-ranging, expressed numerous times since Bush's death last Friday.

"When you talk about great Americans, I don't know if there has been anyone better than he and Mrs. Bush as a team for 70 years," Krzyzewski said less than 24 hours after the president's passing. "He never celebrated himself. ... He's just an amazing American and gentleman. I don't think I've known anyone better than President Bush."

Those were words following Duke's victory last Saturday night against Stetson. Prior to that game, a moment of silence was held in Bush's recognition.

This week, Krzyzewski missed Tuesday's practice to attend an event memorializing Bush in Washington, D.C. He stayed there for Wednesday's state funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

That meant the Hall of Fame coach was absent for most game day activities prior to the third-ranked Blue Devils defeating visiting Hartford on Wednesday night. He arrived back in Durham in the late afternoon following a private flight home. For Krzyzewski to stray from his normal pregame functions is highly unusual.

Yet Bush holds a special place in Krzyzewski's mind.

"He and Mrs. Bush really provided a lifetime of service to our country," he said. "Pretty darn good. I'm starting to get emotional about it."

Krzyzewski took his national champion Blue Devils to the White House in 1991 and 1992 when Bush resided there.

Bush visited Cameron Indoor Stadium for a January 2014 game when the Blue Devils defeated North Carolina State. That was to recognize Krzyzewski's role with the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a charity that Bush helped create. Bush met with the team in the locker room after that game.

Krzyzewski showed the lapel pin he wears for games on behalf of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.

"I've been a member for almost two decades," Krzyzewski said. "... I became, thankfully, a friend and close to him because of this."

Another connection will surface Saturday when Duke plays host to Yale. Bush was a Yale alum, a former standout on the school's baseball team.

Nearly a week ago, Krzyzewski said he was awakened — he wasn't sure why — around 1 a.m. Saturday. He said he saw the news of Bush's death while checking his phone.

"We should just thank God that he set an example for how you should serve our country," he said. "It was an honor to know him and his family."

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